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RedLady
I've had an iguana for a little over 3 years. We have never had an issue with him getting too hot or too cold before, but this year I think he got too cold in the ac. He pretty much quit moving. We have a heat lamp but he doesn't move under it at all. I put blankets over his cage, but it is pretty big so I wasn't able to keep all of the cold out. A few time while I've held him, he has sneezed. i did finally put him outside. But I live in AZ and even in the shade, after only 2 hours, I thought I killed him:( I brought him in, put him in the tub and held onto him for a while till he would actually walk again. He's now living in my walk in closet where it stays pretty warm. But even now, he doesn't get up and walk or whip his tail. I think he may be sick:( I am pregnant myself though and am trying to avoid vet expenses if I can. If there is anyone out there that has any helpful tips or websites or any advice (even if it is that I need to get him to the vet) I would sure appreciate it! It really sucks to have such a great and awesome animal and have to keep him in a closet by himself:(
Answer
does his heat lamp produce UVB also? if not do you have a seperate UVB bulb?
if he doesn't have any uvb access, and hasn't for the three years you've had him he probably has metabolic bone disease. that's the only thing i could think of, it's also a fairly common mistake lizard owners make.
MBD is a very painful disease which results from iguanas not being able to extract calcium from their food which weakens their bones. UVB radiation is essential for the production of vitamin D3 which helps to metabolize calcium from the food he eats. an iguana suffering from MBD portrays many of the symptoms you have noted. lathargy and unwillingness to move much is a good sign of this illness. it definately takes time to develope the disease so people often don't think anything is wrong until their iguana starts acting weird, at which point it has already gotten quite severe.
if this is the case you should indeed be putting him outside for a few hours a day with access to direct sunlight as this is the absolute best source of UVB on the planet. I live in Tucson, and i'm fully aware of how hot it gets outside, but trust me an adult iguana can definately handle temperatures in the 100-110 range for several hours. just make sure he has access to some shade as well so he can thermoregulate himself if he does get too hot. i would also spray him down with a water bottle quite frequently when he's outside. also be sure that his cage allows for the UV rays to get through when he's outside (if you keep him in a cage outside). glass and plastic will block out almost 100% of UV radiation, and screen mesh should be no finer than a quarter inch.
hopefully some of this helped
does his heat lamp produce UVB also? if not do you have a seperate UVB bulb?
if he doesn't have any uvb access, and hasn't for the three years you've had him he probably has metabolic bone disease. that's the only thing i could think of, it's also a fairly common mistake lizard owners make.
MBD is a very painful disease which results from iguanas not being able to extract calcium from their food which weakens their bones. UVB radiation is essential for the production of vitamin D3 which helps to metabolize calcium from the food he eats. an iguana suffering from MBD portrays many of the symptoms you have noted. lathargy and unwillingness to move much is a good sign of this illness. it definately takes time to develope the disease so people often don't think anything is wrong until their iguana starts acting weird, at which point it has already gotten quite severe.
if this is the case you should indeed be putting him outside for a few hours a day with access to direct sunlight as this is the absolute best source of UVB on the planet. I live in Tucson, and i'm fully aware of how hot it gets outside, but trust me an adult iguana can definately handle temperatures in the 100-110 range for several hours. just make sure he has access to some shade as well so he can thermoregulate himself if he does get too hot. i would also spray him down with a water bottle quite frequently when he's outside. also be sure that his cage allows for the UV rays to get through when he's outside (if you keep him in a cage outside). glass and plastic will block out almost 100% of UV radiation, and screen mesh should be no finer than a quarter inch.
hopefully some of this helped
I'm moving to Arizona in a month, and am wondering how much cold weather clothing I will actually need?
buddhababy
I'm originally from California, moved to Texas a year ago, and away we go to Arizona to settle in. I know Arizona is hot. When things cool down in the winter, what do YOU wear? I'm packing and wondering if I'll actually need 17 pairs of pants? In CA and when it's been warm here in TX I wear dresses all the time, as well as shorts. When it gets cold here in TX sweaters and pants/jeans do the job. Will they still have a job in AZ? Truly, I need help before I load the moving truck with tubs of winter clothes never to see the light of day again. HELP??!!
Answer
it all depends on where, if Northern, then LOTS of winter clothing, i was just there a few weeks ago and it was in the 50's and 60's, and where i was stayin about an hour south in Phoenix it was a 110 degrees, so a good amount of winter clothes if your in north arizona or plan on going there allot, and in Tucson or Phoenix, LOTS of summer clothes, and a few light winter clothes, but be sure to bring a few heavy winter clothes incase you get tired of the heat and want to take a vacation an hour or 2 up north in north Arizona
it all depends on where, if Northern, then LOTS of winter clothing, i was just there a few weeks ago and it was in the 50's and 60's, and where i was stayin about an hour south in Phoenix it was a 110 degrees, so a good amount of winter clothes if your in north arizona or plan on going there allot, and in Tucson or Phoenix, LOTS of summer clothes, and a few light winter clothes, but be sure to bring a few heavy winter clothes incase you get tired of the heat and want to take a vacation an hour or 2 up north in north Arizona
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Title Post: Any tips for a possibly sick iguana?
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Rating: 92% based on 9172 ratings. 4,3 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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